First, let me thank UNPOS for facilitating this meeting. I would also like to extend my personal appreciation to my colleagues and fellow Road Map signatories for being committed enough and willing enough to meet again just one month after our last meeting in Addis Ababa. During the past 10 months, we have resolved and bridged many differences together and in the process demonstrated to the world that we are serious about contributing to lasting peace in Somalia. This is also evidence of our collective resolve to successfully complete the Road Map process which we signed onto on September 6, 2011. I am pleased to report that we are on target on most benchmarks of the Road map:

 Concerted efforts continue in newly recovered areas of South Central to build local administrations and restore basic services.

2  In Istanbul, the world community committed to supporting the rebuilding and strengthening of the Somali security sector to eventually be capable enough to take over from the brave AMISOM forces.

On the constitutional front, significant steps have been made in the last month since Addis:

I will break the good news that the draft constitution is complete and ready for review by the general public and also ready for deliberation and adoption by the proposed Constituent Assembly scheduled to stand up the first week of July 2012.

Additionally, my colleagues and I will at the conclusion of this meeting announce the establishment of the technical selection committee. It is the legal body that will be in charge of vetting and receiving the names of the members of the Constituent assembly and also the members of the next parliament.

In the meantime, we should continue resolving the legitimacy issues centered around the 5% of the elders that are being questioned. This issue is very crucial and if left unresolved will taint the process and also will cloud the legitimacy of the next parliament. We should not take this lightly. But we must nevertheless move on.

Next week, the real mechanics of ending the transition must start with a two track and parallel but complimentary processes:

1. the dissemination of the draft constitution to the public in general and to the elders in particular and the beginning of community wide civic education through public engagement and throughout media outlets.

2. The second track is early submission of the members of the 825 CA members by the elders, preferably in the next few days.

Excellencies, it must be understood that even though the draft constitution has been completed, this does not in any way mean the end of the constitutional making process. 3

As that the famous American legal dictum holds “A constitution is a living tree”. I whole heartedly agree with this dictum and believe it will be case in Somalia. Our draft constitution will go through the Constructional Assembly for further deliberation review. The next parliament will also have the chance to engage in a formal constitutional review process until it is submitted to the general public for a referendum. This will be a long process that will set in National dialogue and conversation on constitutionalism.

We must move forward and prioritize and also pay attention to the timelines.

Ladies and gentlemen – it is clear to me that as Signatories, we are unified on the principles and commitments that we have collectively made. The problems arise in the implementation – in the practical details, in the logistics, in making the wheels move forward.

As the executive arm of government, my ministers and I are acutely aware of these implementation blockages.

We are also here to remind us, though none of us need reminding, that we have only 60 days to August 20. We cannot afford any more delays, or else we risk facing a constitutional crisis in August.

We must speed up the process, and for this we need three things:

1. Political commitment on the Somali side

2. Resource commitment and disbursement on the international side, and

3. Massive effort and push to accomplish logistical miracles on both sides.

Once again, I want to thank you all for the months we have had working together, let us finish the important tasks ahead of us. We have raised the expectations of the Somali people, we must not let them down.

Socialize

Posted by QOL Admin
on June 21, 2012. Filed under Warka Maanta.
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